Every Thursday, my fiance and I would select a local business to order takeout. We started this tradition at the beginning of lockdown to support local restaurants. After a year of lockdown, here are my favorite takeout restaurants in the LA area (mostly Westside):
Cha Cha Chicken (Caribbean): It is challenging to find decent Caribbean food in Los Angeles. Cha Cha Chicken hits the spot when when I get a craving.
- Must eats – cha cha chicken (their take on jerk chicken), coconut fried chicken, ropa vieja
Buna (Ethiopian): Located in Little Ethiopia, this is the furthest we have ventured out of Westside for a takeout meal. No regrets, even when we get caught in LA traffic.
- Must eats – fish (with the veggie combo), meat combo, zil zil tibese, doro wet
A.O.C. (California French small plates): By far, this is the fanciest (a.k.a. priciest) on my list. We decided to get their DineLA takeout special last fall to treat ourselves. Our wallets hurt but our stomachs were happy.
- Must eats – farmer’s plate (I don’t know how they could make veggies taste so good.), roasted eggplant focaccia, hangar steak, chocolate torta
Ekkamai (Thai): This is one of our family classics. When we don’t know where to go, we often end up here.
- Must eats – spicy crispy pork, pad ekkamai, panang curry, mango sticky rice
Rutt’s Cafe (Hawaiian): Our other family classic. Always fills us up, always comforting. And plenty of leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
- Must eats – Hawaiian royale (The only thing I order but I hear the french toast, saimin, loco moco, kalua pork are all good.)
Simpang Asia (Indonesian): Of the restaurants listed, this is our favorite. Everything we have tried was delicious…I feel drool pooling at the corner of my mouth.
- Must eats – nasi bungkus, rames, nasi kuning, uduk jakarta (all tasty plates to start with if you want a sample of multiple dishes)
What are some of your takeout restaurants? I would love to hear your recommendations!
Directionally Challenged 